Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Bruise
Xie Jingchen had his hand on the door, but he pulled it back.
He turned around and left.
He could already guess what the first thing Su Jin would say to him if he went in!
No doubt, it would be—
Judging by your face, you must be fuming.
Going in would just make him angrier, wouldn’t it?!
Back in the study, when he saw the roasted duck on the table, he couldn’t help but think of the duck’s butt, losing all appetite.
The rest of that half roasted duck ended up in the Hidden Guard’s stomach.
The Hidden Guard made another trip to the main kitchen and brought Xie Jingchen a braised fish.
It has to be said, the main kitchen was truly having bad luck.
The roasted duck was gone, so they thought they’d make it up with a fish, and just as the fish was ready, it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Rumors of the main kitchen being haunted spread quickly, unsettling everyone.
With a full stomach but still simmering with anger, the more Xie Jingchen thought about it, the angrier he got; that woman had no awareness of her role as a proper wife.
After the Hidden Guard took the plates away, Su Jin was called to the study to turn pages for Xie Jingchen again.
Su Jin was amazed by him.
Pretending to have a disabled arm had become an addiction for him.
Was tormenting her really that amusing?
Anyway, she was bored; it’s just flipping books, no big deal.
Su Jin sat across from Xie Jingchen, helping him with the books while sipping tea, eating snacks, and craving some sour plums.
He didn’t even bother returning the books he read before.
Finally losing his patience, Xie Jingchen stood up and said, "I want to bathe."
He stared at Su Jin.
Su Jin knitted her brows and said, "You’re not expecting me to bathe you, are you?"
"You better believe it!" Xie Jingchen said.
"Big brother, are you serious?" Su Jin asked again.
Xie Jingchen gave her a sideways glance.
Su Jin’s face bloomed with a smile as she rolled up her cloud sleeves, her spirits soaring, "So, how many layers of skin do you want to scrub off?"
Xie Jingchen, "..."
With a blackened face, Xie Jingchen left the study for the bathroom.
The maid had already prepared hot water, with two extra kettle pots warmed beside it on a brazier.
Xie Jingchen approached the bathtub, spreading his arms wide.
Su Jin, standing behind him, rolled her eyes dramatically.
Why not pretend that you can’t even lift your arms now?
She held back.
Su Jin resignedly helped Xie Jingchen undress.
The maid carried the water bucket down, her cheeks blushing at the scene, thinking that the Eldest Young Madam was indeed kind; even with the Eldest Young Master’s injured arm, she was still helping him bathe.
By the time the door closed, Su Jin had already stripped Xie Jingchen’s upper body.
The bruises on his back were more prominent than they were during the day.
A touch of pity flashed in Su Jin’s heart—after all, he got hurt protecting her...
But!
That brief moment of pity disappeared, replaced by embarrassment and anger, before it could even show on her face.
Xie Jingchen urged, "What are you dawdling for?"
"All done," Su Jin said.
"Do you really take baths wearing this much?" Xie Jingchen said.
"..."
"Even if not wearing so much, do you expect me to help you take off your pants?" Su Jin gritted her teeth.
"You are my lawfully wedded wife; why shouldn’t I?" Xie Jingchen countered.
"..."
"You have thick skin, I can’t out-argue you," Su Jin admitted defeat.
Taking a deep breath, Su Jin said, "I’ll go find something to cover my eyes."
With that, not waiting for Xie Jingchen’s response.
Su Jin turned and left.
Hmm.
She never went back.
She didn’t believe he would have the guts to come out looking for her, half-naked.
Xie Jingchen waited for a while, then realized he had been deceived.
He’d never seen such a cunning woman.
Although Su Jin didn’t bathe him, she didn’t abandon him entirely; after all, the bruises on his back were because of her, and she wasn’t heartless.
Su Jin prepared the ointment, planning to apply it after Xie Jingchen returned.
Once that was done, it was Su Jin’s turn to bathe.
Su Jin and Xie Jingchen had always bathed separately.
Su Jin’s bath was in the room, only separated by a screen, and she usually bathed first before Xie Jingchen entered the residence.
Today, with Xie Jingchen lying on the bed, Su Jin felt a bit embarrassed.
No matter how she looked at the screen, it couldn’t completely hide her body.
She deliberately laid her clothes flat over the screen.
This minor act of defiance truly irked Xie Jingchen; she guarded against him as if he were a pervert. Would he really peek?!
Su Jin slipped into the bath, the fatigue of the day easing away in the warm water, her pores relaxing.
She reclined against the edge, relishing the bath.
Xingxing tested the water temperature, adding more hot water when it cooled.
After lounging enough, Su Jin finally used the soap, but it was slippery, and while washing her back, it accidentally fell to the floor.
Xingxing had gone to fetch more hot water and hadn’t returned yet, so Su Jin grabbed another piece.
After washing off the soap, she stood up.
Xingxing brought her clothes, but stepping on the soap unnoticed, she stumbled forward—
Toppling the screen over.
She lay sprawled across the screen, yelping in pain.
Xie Jingchen turned his head and saw Su Jin.
"Ahhh!"
Su Jin’s face turned beet red, and half-washed, she crouched back into the tub, wishing she could disappear.
Xie Jingchen, "..."
He quickly looked away.
Moving slightly, his back pain made him inhale sharply.
He felt slightly annoyed; why did he turn? What couldn’t he see?
He turned his head back.
But before his eyes fell on Su Jin, something hit his forehead—
A bar of soap.
Su Jin, "..."
Xie Jingchen, "..."
The soap bounced, sliding down to Xingxing’s feet.
Xingxing didn’t know what to say.
In her entire life, she had never seen such bad luck for the master.
The young miss had the worst aim imaginable, yet every time she hit the master, it was dead-on.
Though she fell rather hard, she felt more sympathetic toward the master.
The young miss often talked about being "figuratively shot while lying down," something Xingxing never understood until now, seeing the master, she finally got it.
Some really do get "shot while lying down."
"Su! Jin!" Xie Jingchen touched his aching forehead, utterly furious.
Su Jin, "..."
Sinking into guilt in an instant.
"I... I just accidentally let it slip!" Su Jin squeaked from the tub.
"You really think I’d believe that excuse?!" Xie Jingchen glared at her.
"..."
If you don’t believe it, I still have to say it.
Was she supposed to admit she did it on purpose?
Heaven knows, she just threw it randomly, how did it hit so precisely...
Su Jin wanted to vanish.
Xingxing got up, massaging her elbow, and set the screen upright.
Su Jin quickly stood up, hastily drying herself, and dressed.
As she approached the bed, she saw Xie Jingchen’s attractive eyes practically spitting fire, his face flushed with rage.
Su Jin began to suspect that her soap was possibly toxic.
The noise in the room had been quite loud, prompting the maid outside to call out, "Is everything alright?"
Xingxing replied, "Come in."
The maid entered, and Xingxing asked her to empty the bathtub water.
The soap slick on the floor had to be cleaned up too, to prevent Su Jin from accidentally slipping and injuring herself.
Once the maid had finished and left, Su Jin looked at Xie Jingchen and said, "Let me see your forehead."
Xie Jingchen was too furious to speak.
Su Jin reached out and saw the bruise left on Xie Jingchen’s forehead by the soap.
She felt immensely guilty.